The present invention relates generally to support structures, and more particularly to a support structure for a body such as an impeller and a method of making the same, for use on a rotary shaft located in the motor of a vacuum cleaner.
Fans or impellers are well known in the art, and most are made by using rivets or other securing devices to join the support members and the impellers together. The disadvantage with this method is that additional materials and operational steps are needed to join the materials together.
In one known method of this kind as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,634, the plates to be joined are pressed together through a deep-drawing and swaging operation. A shaping pin draws the plates into a blind bore of a bottom die. This high compression of the plates causes the swaged material to flow radially outward. In this position, the shoulder of the shaping pin rests on the surface of the metal plate. In this known method, interlocking of the materials does not occur until the materials flow radially outward.
The present invention provides a support structure for use on impellers that are attached to a rotary shaft in the motor of a vacuum cleaner. The invention requires a simple implementation, and the materials to be joined are interlocked as soon as an upper die presses the materials together.
More particularly, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a support structure in combination with a body includes a first support member disposed in contact with a first side of the body and a second support member disposed in contact with a second side of the body opposite the first side. The support members include apertures that are aligned with an opening of the body to form a bore for receiving a shaft, and portions of the first support member and the body extend into a hole of the second support member to join the first and second support members and the body together.
In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, the first and second support members have diameters smaller than the diameter of the body, and thicknesses greater than the thickness of the body. Furthermore, the second support member has a plurality of additional spaced holes each for receiving additional portions of the first support member and the body.
Also in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the second support member has a first surface in contact with the body and a second surface opposite the first surface, so that the portion of the body that extends into the hole of the second support member also extends past the second surface of the second support member. The second support member also has two additional spaced holes each for receiving additional portions of the first support member and the body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of assembling a support structure for a body includes providing a first support member disposed in contact with a first side of the body, providing a second support member disposed in contact with a second side of the body opposite the first side, aligning apertures of the support members with an opening of the body to form a bore for receiving a shaft, and extending portions of the first support member and the body into a hole of the second support member to join the first and second support members and the body together.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method of securing a first support member to a second support member includes placing the second support member in a die so that a hole of the second support member is located at a predetermined position, placing the first support member adjacent to the second support member so that apertures of the support members are aligned, and advancing a shaping pin toward the first support member in alignment with the predetermined position. The shaping pin has a leading portion of a first diameter and a trailing portion of a second diameter greater than the first diameter, and the trailing portion is separated from the leading portion by a shoulder. When the shaping pin is advanced, the shoulder of the shaping pin extends into the first support member. The shaping pin is further advanced into the first support member until the first and second support members are joined together.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of securing a body between first and second support members includes placing the second support member in a die such that a hole of the second support member is located at a predetermined position, placing the body adjacent to the second support member, placing the first support member adjacent to the body so that apertures of the support members and an opening of the body are aligned, advancing a shaping pin toward the first support member in alignment with the predetermined position so that the shoulder of the shaping pin extends into the first support member, and further advancing the shaping pin through the first support member and the body until the support members and the body are joined together.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of securing a first support member to a second support member includes placing the second support member in a die so that a hole of the second support member is located at a predetermined position, placing the first support member adjacent to the second support member so that apertures of the support members are aligned, and advancing a shaping pin, which is of uniform cross sectional size along a full length thereof, toward the first support member in alignment with the predetermined position. When the shaping pin is advanced, the entire shaping pin extends into the first support member. The shaping pin is further advanced into the first support member until the first and second members are joined together.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of securing a body between first and second support members includes placing the second support member in a die such that a hole of the second support member is located at a predetermined position, placing the body adjacent to the second support member, placing the first support member adjacent to the body so that apertures of the support members and an opening of the body are aligned, advancing a shaping pin, which is of uniform cross sectional size along a full length thereof, toward the first support member in alignment with the predetermined position so that the entire shaping pin extends into the first support member, and further advancing the shaping pin through the first support member and the body until the support members and the body are joined together.
Other features and advantages are inherent in the apparatus and methods claimed and disclosed or will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.